amaotonovel Chapter 4205 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (2)
Chapter 4205 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (2)
Chapter 4205 A Guide to Wandering the Galaxy (Part Twelve)
Pikachu went back to pack his things. He didn't have much to pack, since he couldn't take the tavern or similar buildings with him. His most valuable possession was the beer production line. This thing was actually quite difficult to acquire, as it was a fully automated production line, and only a few countries could manufacture such a complete line, with export restrictions. He had gone to great lengths to acquire an old one; it was his most valuable asset.
They didn't bring any staff, since they could hire humans once they got there. Many of them, whether second-tier superheroes or young mutants, were unemployed and struggling financially, making them the best candidates.
Yondu packed up quickly as well, clearly having extensive experience in moving and fleeing; he had everything packed up in less than an afternoon. They even had a decent medium-sized spaceship, which they loaded all their belongings onto. Schiller, with Pikachu in tow, and the group headed towards the Milky Way.
Schiller had informed Loki beforehand, so he brought some men to pick them up, which gave the raiders quite a fright. These men had seen the might of the Asgardian warriors before, but back then, they weren't even worthy of being called opponents. Once the fight started, they could only silently crouch in a corner, pretending to be bottles and jars.
“You did manage to bring them after all,” Loki said. “Asgard has a long and rich tavern culture, why can’t we keep watch?”
"Tavern culture? You mean when you get drunk, you go out into space and fight one-on-one, punching your opponent so hard they're stuck inside a star and can't be pried out?"
Loki touched his cheek and said, "It's not that exaggerated. Only a few hit stars."
“Let’s not talk about that.” He changed the subject somewhat abruptly, then said, “The Grandmaster told me he’s chosen the planets, but the orbits might need some adjustments. When is Magneto free?”
"He's over in the Andromeda Galaxy, but there's no rush. Let the construction team start building. Even if the orbit is adjusted, they can just pack up the furniture and take it with them. It won't get damaged, and they can adjust it later anyway."
"Okay, let's go check out Centaurus first."
Centaurus is adjacent to the Southern Cross, or rather, the Southern Cross was originally classified as part of Centaurus. They are in the same constellation and are very close to each other. Standing on one side, you can see the other side with the naked eye.
The spaceship reached Alpha Centauri. Loki gestured and then said, "The wizard said the best portal location is over there; they plan to open a large portal there. The Grandmaster chose that planet, but it's a bit too close to the large portal, so he wants to move its orbit further away..."
Then they drove to the planet and took a look. Surprisingly, the planet was rather barren, with some basic moss, but most of the land was bare rock.
The Grand Master was already there waiting for them, as were the collectors. Schiller went up and shook hands with them, then said, "Why didn't you choose the green one over there?"
"Please, we run a casino. Our goal is to lock everyone up inside and make them lose all their money, not to send them out on a sightseeing trip. The more desolate the better, otherwise why would I have stayed on Sakaar for so long?"
The Grandmaster was clearly quite experienced in running casinos, speaking at length on the subject. He said, "This planet's crust has a special structure. I'll have my brothers come and clear away the underground structure, then we'll open the casino underground. That way, you can still open other things on the surface. As long as it's underground, they won't distinguish between day and night, and they won't feel the passage of time, so they'll keep gambling..."
Schiller knew the Elders of the Universe were quite capable; some of them seemed to be particularly skilled at construction. Since the Grandmaster had his own methods, he didn't stop him. Besides, land near the future portal would be incredibly valuable, so it was better if he didn't occupy any surface area.
Then the collector brought out his drawings, and Schiller glanced at them, noticing that he had indeed incorporated some Earthly characteristics. The overall structure resembled an ancient Greek temple, but the decorative patterns had an Eastern style, making it look quite harmonious overall. The only problem was that it was a bit too big.
“Are you sure you need such a large space?” Schiller said. “I can understand, after all, you will be collecting other items in the future, but if the reserved space is too large, it may seem empty.”
"No, no, no, this isn't a reserved space," the collector quickly shook his head and said. "It'll be packed full of items, and there might not even be enough. I haven't even included some low-value or duplicate items."
Schiller raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised; he had truly underestimated the collector's vast collection. The blueprints he provided were almost the size of a small town, yet they still couldn't display the entire collection.
The collector seemed a little nervous. He said, "Of course, if it's too big, we can shrink it a bit..."
“No need, this is fine,” Schiller said. “If it really doesn’t work, we can expand the airspace further.”
The collector was immediately delighted. Loki, however, nudged Schiller with his elbow and said, "We might not have that much material."
“There’s no need to use all magical materials,” Schiller said in a low voice. “If you mix some magical herbal juice into the paint on the walls, wouldn’t that make a magical wall too? You haven’t been to Wall Street in too long; your skills have deteriorated.”
"Before, you were ripping off other people; now you're building your own house. If you keep cutting corners like this, what if problems arise?"
"If it's broken, just fix it. We can even scam some repair funds then. Museums are interstellar cultural heritage sites; no amount of money spent on repairs is too much, right?"
"What if the collection gets damaged... oh well, the collection isn't ours anyway."
The two secretly gave each other a high five, and then continued listening to the Grandmaster explain his casino plans.
At this moment, Schiller introduced Yondu to the Grandmaster, though in fact, the two already knew each other. The Grandmaster squinted at Yondu, somewhat reluctantly, but still stepped forward and shook his hand: "Long time no see. I didn't expect you to be alive today."
"Thanks to you, you're doing pretty well." Yondu added sarcastically, "But you, I heard your casino went bankrupt again? You truly live up to your title of God of Gamblers."
The Celestial was somewhat exasperated, so Schiller quickly coughed twice and said, "Alright, from now on we're all colleagues, let's not talk about the past."
Grandmaster Gao rolled his eyes but said nothing more. He knew how formidable Yondu was; he was one of the few who could stir up trouble under the rule of the three great empires. With him managing the casino, he wouldn't have to rack his brains dealing with those eccentric characters from all walks of life.
After touring the area, they went to the Southern Cross constellation to see the proposed site for the Interstellar Council. Construction equipment had already been installed, but construction hadn't officially begun yet. Yondu clicked his tongue, a look of envy or jealousy lingering in his eyes, and said, "This galaxy is definitely something special. How come the plants grow so well? Oh my, there are even little dinosaurs on this one. It won't be long before they evolve into a civilization."
“This place is a geomantically auspicious place,” Loki said, clearly pleased with himself. “It has the highest green coverage in the entire universe; it can truly be called a cosmic garden. Otherwise, why would all sorts of aliens be eyeing this place?”
"It's fortunate that Asgard and humanity exist," the Grandmaster interjected. "If those electronic lifeforms had gotten their hands on it, it would have been completely ruined."
The group exchanged glances, their meaning unspoken. They all disapproved of electronic lifeforms and even more so of the increasing mechanization of the two great empires. Originally, these two empires weren't so mechanized, but by sheer coincidence, they had been engaged in a millennium-long war. Mechanical lifeforms had an advantage in large-scale warfare, and the millennium-long arms race between the two sides had made them increasingly like machines.
"What's been going on with the Supreme Intelligence lately?" the Grandmaster asked. "Why haven't we heard anything from him lately?"
Yondu shook his head and said, "The Kree Empire has been unusually quiet lately. Logically, they should be the most opposed to the Interstellar Council moving here. Who knows what evil scheme that big head is plotting."
“He probably doesn’t have time for us,” Schiller suddenly said.
The others exchanged glances, some with a hint of schadenfreude. The Supreme Intelligence must have encountered some trouble; otherwise, it wouldn't have remained hidden at such a crucial moment.
At this moment, Schiller received news that the galactic explorers had already set off. Those thousands of small spaceships, along with some beings capable of physical flight, began their journey across the entire galaxy.
“Let’s go, let’s see where you should open your tavern.” Schiller patted Pikachu and said, “There’s plenty of space here. You could open a huge tavern and sell all kinds of alcohol from Earth. What do you think about opening an Earth specialty store here?”
"That's not bad, but besides alcohol, what other specialties does Earth have? From what I've observed, aliens eat quite well too."
Schiller nodded. He didn't deny it. Even though two major empires didn't require food, carbon-based life forms truly needed food. The three empires weren't so harsh as to forbid people from eating. While some civilizations did sacrifice food quality for efficiency, others did develop excellent culinary cultures. As long as you had money, you could still eat good food.
While the food on Earth tastes good, it's nothing particularly special, mostly consisting of a lot of vegetables. However, the way meat is cooked is nothing special compared to other civilizations; after all, those civilizations have more ingredients and can catch and eat all sorts of exotic animals, so naturally, they can't compare.
“However, as far as I know, humans are more advanced in their development of desserts,” Loki said. “First of all, coffee and cocoa are extracted from plants. Other civilizations haven’t developed plant spices as thoroughly as humans, which is why we can sell coffee and chocolate. Also, although they have many ways to supplement their sugar intake, I’ve rarely seen as many ways of making desserts as there are on Earth—bread, cakes, fruits, sauces…”
Pikachu nodded in agreement, saying, "Anything related to plants is underdeveloped, especially fruit. Few civilized planets have tropical rainforest climates, so their fruit is rather shriveled and not very satisfying to eat."
“However, how to deliver fresh fruit to such a far place is indeed a problem,” Schiller thought for a moment and said. “I need to consult with professionals before I can decide whether I can open a fruit shop.”
The professional he was referring to was Pamela. Although there was no greenery in this universe, she was an expert even in plant cultivation. So, Schiller arranged to meet her at a café next to the sanatorium for a detailed discussion.